According to 2019 Kentucky by the Numbers for Leslie County, 17.91% of our population is age 65 and over. Bingocize is an evidence-based health promotion program to maintain and improve quality of life, especially for the elderly. The 10-week educational program combines a bingo-like game with exercise to improve and/or maintain mobility, engage a variety of populations, including older adults, in social settings. The long-term outcomes of Bingocize have proven to be that there are more improved lower and upper body strength, improved gait, balance and range of motion, improved aspects of cognition, increased social engagement, improved knowledge of important health topics, falls risk reduction, and improved patient activation. Bingocize meets twice a week and has many important benefits and reasons to participate.

Recently, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent offered 2 10-week sessions of Bingocize Programs, totaling 40 sessions, at Leslie County Extension. A total of 15 participants signed up to complete the sessions.   Over the course of the programs, participants were happy with their experience and enjoyed learning more on how to stay safe in their homes and how to hopefully reduce the risk of falling both indoors and out. At the end of the programs, over 95% of participants reported that they felt more confident in their abilities to reduce falls, gained skills to help protect themselves in the event of falling, and felt that they had become steadier on their feet. 100% of participants reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the program, would recommend it to others and would participate again in the future.